Darkness Before the Dawn
by Sarianna Black
Summary: Naruto rescues Sasuke, who was badly injured after fighting and killing Orochimaru. However, they get caught in a cave, and are forced to remain there until help arrives. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of the Characters. Anyways, read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Naruto Uzumaki ran across the treetops, searching for signs of the battle. _He has to be here somewhere… I have to find him. I promised Sakura. _He jumped down to the ground and began his tracking there. After walking briefly, he discovered scorch marks in the ground and blood on the trees. Sprinting now, he kept looking for signs of Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto noticed that the trees ahead had been broken and burned. He moved towards that direction and saw a pale body strewn on the ground, bleeding profusely.

"Sasuke," he yelled running over to him. Sasuke lay on the ground unconscious and a small puddle of blood formed an outline of his body. Naruto acted quickly, pulling out disinfectant and applying it to his body. Then he took bandages and covered his arms, chest, and legs with them.

"Sasuke, wake up," he gently chided. The only response he received was a groan and slight movement.

Naruto sighed in frustration and looked around. There was no sign of Orochimaru, but Naruto had no doubt Sasuke had eradicated him for good. He picked Sasuke up and carried him to a nearby cave. _We can take shelter here till he's able to move again. He's going to be pissed that I found him, but… I wasn't about to leave him for dead._

He laid Sasuke down on a sleeping bag and began building a fire. Sasuke stirred and Naruto snapped his head in his direction, but Sasuke failed to awaken. _Well, we're going to be here for a while, so I guess I'd better get some food. I just don't want to get back and see him missing again…. Oh, well. I'll deal with it later._ He glanced back at Sasuke and ran out of the cave to hunt for dinner.

A few hours later, Naruto returned with a deer and some fish. _Good, he's still out. Well, not good, but at least he didn't run away. _He sat in front of the fire and began scaling the fish to cook them. He became so concentrated on completing this task that he didn't notice the pale teenager struggling to sit up and look around.

"Naruto," he whispered hoarsely.

Naruto jolted and dropped the half-scaled fish into the fire. It made a disgusting popping sound as it shriveled under the heat. The cave began to smell burnt, but they ignored it.

"Sasuke, good, you're awake. I was getting wor—"

"Why? Who told you to come get me? I didn't need any help from you," he stated angrily.

Naruto smiled briefly. "I came to get you because Sakura and I knew you were in trouble and she was not able to leave her medical ninjutsu training. Besides, you may not agree, but you looked like you needed help."

Sasuke looked away and scowled. "You're wrong. I don't need help. I can take care of myself."

Naruto chuckled softly. "Yeah, that's you, Sasuke. Stubborn as always. Can't you just be grateful that I came to save you? Have some rice. The fish… well, it's not quite ready. It will be soon though. Same with that deer. I figured we could stay here till you got better so I got food."

Sasuke stood up, his whole body shaking and groaning in protest. "I'm not hungry. Thanks, but I'm leaving now." He attempted to walk away, but his body refused and he slumped down on the ground.

Naruto, despite himself, laughed. 'I don't think you'll be going anywhere tonight."

Sasuke glared at him. "Shut up, dobe! I know what I'm doing!" He attempted to stand up again but failed to support himself for more than three seconds.

Naruto shook his head. "I don't see why you have to be so stubborn about this. Why can't you just accept your limitations?" He stood to pull Sasuke back into the sleeping bag. Just then, a thunderstorm began, sending pellets of rain shooting to the ground and making the cave light up with the thunder and lightning. Naruto glanced at the rain and back at Sasuke. "Look, yet another reason why you can't leave."

Sasuke glowered and pushed Naruto away. "I've been through worse. Leave me alone." His legs strengthened slightly, he began to walk with more determination towards the entrance of the cave. Suddenly, a flash of lightning blinded them and thunder struck the ground right in front of the cave. Rocks and boulders crashed down and covered the entrance of the cave, trapping Naruto and Sasuke. The fire blew out, and they were left in complete darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Sasuke and Naruto groped around in the dark to find the now sealed-off entrance.

"Damn it," they exclaimed at the same time.

Sasuke began looking for rocks to remove to no avail.

"I somehow don't think it's going to work," said Naruto. "There are over two tons of boulders in our way. Besides, you need to rest." He groped his way to the fire and relit it. The cave soon became visible and Naruto looked over to see a glowering Sasuke leaning for support on a boulder.

"So, you're going to keep on being stubborn?" Naruto scowled. "Fine, I'm going to look around here. Talk to me when you feel like being civil." He turned away from Sasuke and walked away into the rocky passage.

Sasuke watched him storm off and sagged to the ground. _The baka is right… I'm not strong enough. I'm pathetic. _He crawled over to the fire, picked up a fish and ate it. _Fuck… this is actually good._ He finished the fish and stood to wobble back to the sleeping bag.

Naruto groped his way along the passage of the cave, searching for a source of light. "Naruto," he chided himself, "you should have been smarter and gotten some fire to light the way."

He stumbled on a rock and fell, scraping his elbow. "Ow," he exclaimed. Rubbing his bleeding elbow, he proceeded forward only to slip and fall into a steaming hot spring face-first. He emerged sputtering and shook the water out of his hair.

"Shit! How did this spring get here? These were my only clothes," he gasped. "Oh, hell no! I'm not walking around naked with Sasuke!" He clambered out of the water and began to walk back to Sasuke and the fire.

Sasuke glanced up to hear splashing and Naruto yelling random nonsense. He smirked and leaned back against a rock to wait for him to come back. Sure enough, a minute or so later, Naruto came sauntering back.

They locked eyes briefly and Sasuke began to say something, but Naruto interrupted him. "Don't say anything, Sasuke, or I swear to you, you will regret it."

Sasuke shrugged and hid a smile. "You're going to catch a cold if you keep those on."

Naruto sat down, dripping water into the fire. "I realize that, but I have no other clothes to change into, so therefore, I need to stay in these."

Sasuke shook his head and sighed. "Stop acting like such an immature idiot. Get them off, and if you want to hide yourself, you can get under the sleeping bag and I'll dry your clothes out for you."

Naruto hesitated, but after a few minutes of sitting in drenched clothes, he felt shivers run down his spine and decided that it was best to remove the clothing. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Sasuke's eyes soften slightly while hiding a smile.

_Wait… maybe he does care. I knew it! Sasuke can't be cold and heartless, no matter how hard he tries to be. _He began stripping down and handed his clothes to Sasuke who moved so he could get under the sleeping bag. "Thank you," he whispered as Sasuke stood up to drape the clothes on the walls of the cave.

"Don't mention it."

Naruto smiled. "But I—"

'Really." Sasuke turned slowly towards him. "Don't mention it. Ever."

Naruto laughed and began staring at the patterns the fire made on the ceiling. He felt himself drifting off to sleep. "Good night, Teme..."

Sasuke leaned against the wall of the cave and sighed. After making sure Naruto had fallen asleep completely, he turned to him and whispered, "Good night, Dobe."


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto awoke to the smell of cooking meat. He groaned and sat up and squinted at Sasuke. "Ugh… How long have I been out?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't know, about six hours. I couldn't sleep because your stupid snoring kept me up." He glanced over at the wall. "Your clothes are dry." He stood up and tossed Naruto's clothing to him. He turned away to give Naruto some privacy. He stared at the wall while Naruto finished re-dressing himself and then sat down in front of him. "So, we're stuck here."

Naruto nodded.

Sasuke scoffed and limped away from him. The fire cast shadows over his face and made him look menacing. "I have to get out of here. I can't stay here."

Naruto stood up. "And just where do you think you're gonna go? Guess what, Sasuke? We're trapped in here. Trapped. Get used to it." He walked briskly past Sasuke and disappeared into the depths of the cave.

Sasuke glared after Naruto and waited till he was out of sight before dropping his guard. _I'm sorry, Naruto. I just need to escape. Small places like this freak me out a little. Oh, whatever. It doesn't matter. Fuck it. _He hardened his face again and resumed his glare in Naruto's general direction.

Naruto rolled up his pants and stuck his feet into the warm, relaxing water and sighed. _What did I ever do to him except try to be nice? If he keeps this up, he's going to lose all of his friends… not that he had many from the very beginning but still._

He heard footsteps approaching and glanced over to see Sasuke limping towards him, a nonchalant expression on his face, much like always. He grunted a greeting and went back to focusing on the serene spring. Naruto heard him fumbling around and finally dunk his body into the water. Naruto opened his eyes and noticed that Sasuke was naked in the spring, his clothes folded neatly on a corner. He felt a warm rush cascade the inside of his body and he blushed. _What the hell is wrong with me?_

Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes as he entered the spring, warm water enveloping his body and loosening his sore muscles. He opened one eye when he heard Naruto's breathing speed up. "What are you doing, dobe?" He caught a glimpse of Naruto blushing and looked at him questioningly. _He's probably just flustered. Yes, I'm sure that's it, _he thought to himself.

Naruto looked down, cheeks red. "Well, I'm going to sleep for a little. See you later!" and before Sasuke could retort or dissuade him, he leaped up and ran towards the blocked entrance. He slumped against a boulder and groaned. _What the hell got into me back then? Why did I have the uncontrollable urge to… kiss Sasuke? Gross!!_

He began pounding on the rocks, attempting feebly to break through the barrier that had formed the previous night. "Argh, let me out!!" He pounded furiously until his hand hurt too much to continue. _God, I hate this! Sakura must be so worried. No one knows where we are… just my luck. I'm going to die in this cave with Sasuke. _


	4. Chapter 4

Sasuke sat in the spring, relaxing and recounting the past three days to himself. Or, at least, he tried. His mind was fixated on the event that had taken place not five minutes before. Naruto's blushing face ran across his mind repeatedly. _ I don't get it. He wasn't acting like this before he… shit. No. no way. Naruto can't possibly be like that. He's been in love with Sakura since we were five. _He shifted uncomfortably. _Then again… being gone for three years means I've missed a lot. Has he really changed all that much? _He groaned and got out of the water to clothe himself and ask Naruto a few questions.

Naruto tried to move a boulder but only managed to budge it back about an inch. Worn out, he rested his head on it. Then he heard what he thought would never reach his ears again.

"Naruto!"

It was faint, but Sakura was out there, on the other side calling for him.

He began pounding on the rock once more and called out to her as loud as he was able to.

Sakura heard faint yelling from a blocked cave close to her. She ran over to it and put her hand on it. "Naruto?" she asked, yelling through the blockade.

Naruto sighed in relief and smiled. "Sakura! I'm here. I got trapped and I can't get out."

Sakura bit her lip and began moving miniscule rocks out of the way to try to see into the cave. After what seemed to take an hour, she was able to create a small crevice where she was able to see Naruto's ocean blue eyes. She inserted a hand, hesitating, afraid that there would be a rock slide that would crush her hand. She felt Naruto grab it and she squeezed in response. "I'm so sorry it took me so long to find you. I'll be back with help as soon as possible, I promise. Hang in there!"

Naruto nodded, though he knew she couldn't see it. "I can't really go anywhere, so I guess I'll wait for you."

She laughed and pulled her hand away, replacing it with her eyes. "I'll be back soon."

Then she ran off, leaving Naruto alone once more.

"She doesn't know I'm here too, does she?"

Naruto turned around to see Sasuke standing dangerously close to him. Naruto gulped and felt electric shocks wash over him in waves. He felt lightheaded staring at him. "I need to sit." He pushed away from him and kneeled on the ground close to the sleeping bag. "No, she doesn't know you're here. She thinks I'm alone." _What the hell is going on with me?_

Sasuke scowled. "You couldn't tell her that I was here?"

Naruto glared at him. "Oh, sorry, I guess I forgot in the midst of my joy at being found and almost rescued. My bad."

Sasuke threw him a furious look and leaned against the wall. "So, how long do we have to be stuck together?"

Naruto shrugged. "It's going to take a couple of days to reach the village, so I'm guessing about a week."

Sasuke stared at him in disbelief. "A week?" He moved towards the blockade slowly and without warning, he began attempting to remove the rocks barricading them inside. "I have to get out of here! I can't stay here!" he yelled with every rock he tossed aside. He managed to remove plenty of boulders, but Naruto heard this rumbling emitting from the wall. He gasped in shock and simultaneously grabbed Sasuke just as a second landslide made their chances of escape slimmer than before.

Sasuke felt himself be flung backwards with Naruto clasping his hands around his waist. They hit the wall and Sasuke heard Naruto's back make a sickening crack and the hands around his waist slowly released him. He turned around to see Naruto's mouth trickling blood and his body slumped forward in a way Sasuke had never seen before.

"What the hell was that for? You're dying here! Naruto, why would you do something like that? Why would you try to save me and hurt yourself?"

Naruto glanced at him slowly and smiled. "That's what… friends are for," he whispered hoarsely and then blackness consumed him.


	5. Chapter 5

Sakura stood in front of the fifth Hokage, panting for air. She had run for two days without ceasing to get to the Hidden Leaf Village. She had recounted her encounter with Naruto and was waiting while Lady Tsunade gathered a retrieval team. So far, Lee, Shikamaru, Neji, Kakashi, and Iruka were selected.

"Your mission is to bring back Naruto safely so he can get hospital care. God only knows how long he's been inside that cave all alone. Sakura is your leader this time. Now, go."

They all nodded and followed Sakura out of the building.

Tsunade sighed. "Bring him back safely."

Sasuke laid Naruto flat on the ground gently, attempting to keep him as still as possible. He shook his hair out of his eyes and wiped a trickle of blood escaping from Naruto's mouth. His eyes softened despite of his fury towards the unconscious blonde boy.

"Naruto… I can't believe that you would be so stupid… and save my life." He stroked his golden hair once and then pulled away. He frowned at himself. _What was that?_

Naruto stirred and groaned. His eyes fluttered open but they remained glazed and unfocused.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke felt his chest melt internally when Naruto called his name. "Yes, Naruto? I'm here." He moved closer to him and clasped his hand. His heart pounded faster and faster. _What is this strange feeling? _

Naruto's eyes focused on his face and he smiled, regardless of the pain he was in. "That was… one hell… of a rush, huh? Did I scare you? You look… paler than usual."

Sasuke smiled softly. "You are such a loser." He hardened his face once more. "Naruto, can you feel your lower body? Try to move your legs."

Naruto obliged, but cried out in pain.

Sasuke squeezed his hand tighter. _Good, at least he can move a little, so he's not paralyzed. And he may be in pain now, but… if this keeps up, he'll lose all feeling, and then…_ He moved away from Naruto to grab some water for Naruto. He glanced back at the blockade with despair._ Please, Sakura, hurry up with the help._

Sakura and her team arrived at the sealed-off cave. She pounded on the rocks. "Naruto!"

She listened briefly and heard no response. Turning to her teammates, she frowned. "We're going to have to break this blockade down somehow. Anyone have any ideas?"

Lee glanced at Neji. "Can you use your Byakugan to see if he's all right in there?"

Neji nodded. "Byakugan!" His eyes turned white lavender and he focused his stare at the rocks ahead. He remained fixated for a few moments, then his eyes returned to normal. "There's some interesting news."

Everyone turned to face him. "What do you mean?" asked Iruka.

"He's been hurt badly."

Sakura grimaced. "I was afraid of that. Come on, we need to get in there and get him to a hospital!" She began to remove small rocks from the wall.

"There's more," continued Neji.

Sakura froze and the rest continued to gape at him.

He looked down at the ground. "He's not alone."


	6. Chapter 6

Sasuke sat next to Naruto and wiped off beads of sweat from his forehead with a damp cloth. "Naruto, stay with me. Don't fall asleep again. Come on, help is coming soon. I can feel it."

Naruto grinned. "Don't… tell me what… to do. I can… take care of myself."

Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"You know what… I want to do as soon… as I get out of here?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto, who was gazing at the ceiling. "I want… a big bowl of ramen and then… I want to… play some video games. Maybe Halo Three. I haven't… played that in a while."

Sasuke smiled despite of himself. "I bet I could kick your ass in Halo."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "In your dreams, emo boy."

Sasuke leaned in, his lips dangerously close to Naruto's. "I guess dreams are reality now, hyperactive moron."

Naruto stared at Sasuke and gulped. His heart beat abnormally fast, and his breathing became shallow. Naruto could feel Sasuke breathing and his lips quivered. _What is wrong with me? This isn't happening… this CAN'T be happening…_

"Sasuke, I—"

Before he could finish his protest, Sasuke closed his eyes and pressed his lips against Naruto's. Fireworks exploded inside Naruto, and he felt like he was being burned with passion internally. He kissed Sasuke back eagerly, not caring about what was happening around them. All that mattered was Sasuke and him, sharing something that seemed… wrong, and yet it felt wonderful.

Sakura glared at the ground. "So, Sasuke's in there as well? Humph."

Kakashi stared off into the forest, silent. He knew the effect that must have been having on Sakura. He remembered how devastated she was after he left. _God, even_ I_ was depressed… this must be killing her, to see him again after all this time and everything that happened._

Lee kept staring at the blockade. "Well, we should probably begin removing the rocks… Sakura-san, do we have your approval?"

Sakura remained glaring at the ground, unresponsive.

Shikamaru sighed. "Look, this is getting us nowhere. This is kind of a drag, but we need to move faster than this or else Naruto is going to die. It doesn't matter if Sasuke's in there with him. He's not the one we're after right now." He walked over the wall and began examining it.

Sakura still did not say a word.

Shikamaru turned and glared at her. "Sakura, if you can't be a proper leader for us, then I'm taking charge. Go back to the village and alert the hospital of our new circumstances. We'll take care of this."

He motioned the others around him. "Okay, we need to move this carefully so we don't make the cave collapse and kill them both. Kakashi, you're in charge when we get in there. You know more about them than we do."

Kakashi nodded and sneaked a glance over at Sakura. She had tears coming down her eyes, and without a word, she walked away from them. _Poor thing… _

Sakura began running towards the village. _I'm sorry, Naruto. I've failed you again… I'm useless. I don't know why I tried to think otherwise._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. I could not, for the life of me, figure out how to end this chapter. It's going to take me a bit to upload and post chapters because I'm going through writer's block, and it sucks. But, please be patient with me. I'm trying my best. ^_^**

**please review!**

**the comments help me a lot.  
**

* * *

Sasuke pulled away from the kiss and looked away. "I'm… I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

Naruto blushed fiercely. "You… You didn't have to stop, you know…"

Sasuke stared at Naruto. "I… How long have you been feeling this way?"

Naruto looked off to the side and blushed harder. "Does this really…matter right now?"

Sasuke looked away and grimaced. Suddenly, they heard a blast and the cave began shaking, dribbling dust and small rocks on them. Naruto coughed, and Sasuke covered their mouths with cloths to stop the dust from entering their lungs.

Sunlight burst in from outside the cave, making them both wince and squint their eyes towards the entrance.

Shikamaru walked in casually and leaned against a wall. "What's up?"

Naruto smiled despite himself, and his eyes glittered. Sasuke looked at him and his heart melted again.

Just then, Lee, Neji, Iruka, and Kakashi entered the cave. Kakashi and Iruka were carrying a stretcher, and Lee and Neji began pulling out bandages and disinfectant. They proceeded to apply it to their cuts silently, and Kakashi, Iruka and Shikamaru lifted Naruto carefully onto the stretcher.

"So, uh, I don't know what the hell you two were doing in here, but you must have had a huge party to be hurt so badly," Shikamaru stated casually.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke nervously as he was lifted and carried out of the cave. Sasuke began following Kakashi and Iruka out of the cave but stopped in front of Shikamaru. "I don't do well in parties."

Lee and Neji exchanged amused glances but excited the cave silently. Shikamaru gathered up Naruto and Sasuke's belongings that still remained in the cave and walked out with Sasuke following suit.

"Lady Tsunade, they have reached the village and Naruto and Sasuke are being examined in the hospital as we speak," Sakura stated in a dead voice.

"Oh, finally! I was wondering what the hell was taking so long. It's been a week now. Get the rescue team in here. I want to talk to them all, and that includes you too, Sakura."

Sakura nodded absentmindedly and began walking out of the office.

Naruto slowly awakened in the hospital and saw Sasuke slumped over in a chair sleeping. He smiled and extended a shaky hand to wake him up. "Sasuke," he said hoarsely. "Wake up, dude." He gently shook Sasuke, who groaned in protest and swiped his hand away.

Naruto smiled. "Sasuke, come on, it's time to wake up."

Sasuke stirred and opened his eyes. His face instantly relaxed as soon as he saw Naruto awake and recovering. "I'm so glad you're okay." He grabbed Naruto's hand and held it. Naruto felt his chest burn and he blushed.

"Thanks."

"No, really, I am. I…" Sasuke stopped as Sakura entered.

"Oh, don't stop on my account," she said airily. "I'm just here to see how Naruto's doing." She glanced at Naruto and he smiled. "I'm fine, Sakura-chan."

She smiled. "That's good. I'm glad." Just then, Tsunade burst in. "Oh, good, he's recovering. Welcome back, Naruto."

"Thanks, Granny." Naruto smirked and Tsunade's lip twitched. "Sakura, I'd like you to go through and sort the medical files in my office, please."

"Now?"

"Now."

"But…Tsunade-sama…" She glanced at Naruto and Sasuke. "Now," Tsunade demanded and Sakura reluctantly left. Tsunade turned to Sasuke. "I need to know…what are _your _plans?"

He glowered. "What do you mean?" She looked down. "You know the punishment for deserting Konoha and crimes against its Shinobi." Naruto looked up. "No-!"

"Be quiet, Naruto," Tsunade snapped. "It's not MY law." She looked at Sasuke and asked, "Well?"

He looked down and nodded. In a hoarse whisper, he replied, "Death."


	8. Chapter 8

Naruto attempted to get off the bed, but Sasuke held him down. "No, Naruto. Stay here. There's nothing you can do to change this." He glanced up at Tsunade. "When?"

Tsunade looked away. "Tomorrow morning at eight. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we have to keep you locked in a cell until then."

Sasuke nodded and looked at the ground again. "I'll be out there in a minute. I need some time with him, if you don't mind."

Tsunade nodded and walked out of the room.

Sasuke watched her leave and then slumped into a chair. Naruto glanced at him wide-eyed. "Sasuke, no, this can't happen."

Sasuke shook his head. "It is though, that's why I was hesitant on coming back. I wanted to see you and Sakura, but I knew that they would execute me for it…"

Naruto's eyes began to water with tears. "Then we'll leave. We don't have to stay here. You can leave and I'll go with you!"

Sasuke shook his head once again. "It's too late. They're coming."

Just then, Tsunade re-entered the room with four Ambu Black Ops members. "I'm sorry, Sasuke, Naruto, but we have to go now." The Ambu Black Ops surrounded Sasuke and handcuffed him. Sasuke looked at Naruto and smiled. "It's okay; it's not the end of the world."

Naruto lay on the bed helplessly and watched them leave with tears in his eyes. _No, this can't be happening again… I just got him back… I just saved him. I can't lose him again. _He wiped the tears from his eyes and picked up the phone on the bedside table next to him. He dialed a number and waited for the person to answer.

"Hello? I need a favor from you."

Sasuke was led into the village jail cells and locked in one of them. He looked out at the stars outside his barred-up window and sighed. _We'll see each other again, Naruto. Don't worry._ He began thinking of ways to escape the seemingly inevitable execution.

Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples. Shizune kept badgering her about pointless paperwork, and she was getting ready to slap her across the face. She still hadn't forgiven her for going behind her back and alerting the Elders about the Akatsuki and Kakashi's team.

She looked out her window and examined the stars for a brief minute. She was so focused on them that she didn't see the black silhouette move across the street and towards the hospital.

Naruto awoke when he felt a presence in his room. He smiled and motioned his friend closer to him. "You got here fast. Is there anyone else coming?"

His friend nodded. "Yes, they'll be here soon. They got held up trying to find a temporary replacement for me."

Naruto nodded. "Good, we'll go over the plan when they arrive then."

As if on cue, two more people showed up, cloaked in black, much like the first one. "Sorry, we're late, Naruto-kun. The council would not let us leave."

Naruto nodded and motioned them even closer, so they were almost on the bed. "Okay, here's what we're going to do to get him out."

The cloaked figures listened and nodded silently.


End file.
